1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a substrate supporting apparatus for supporting, for example, a substrate for a hard disk (magnetic storage medium) and a substrate transporting apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, to transport a substrate (for example, hard disk substrate) having a hole at the center while keeping it in the vertical orientation, a substrate supporting apparatus having a V-shaped groove is inserted into the hole to support the substrate, and a transport robot transports the substrate together with the substrate supporting apparatus. However, when the substrate supported in the vertical orientation is attached to an attachment hole provided in a substrate holder, the transport robot may excessively press the substrate against the fixed pawls of the attachment hole, and the fixed pawls may damage the outer peripheral portion of the substrate.
To solve this problem, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-89851 proposes a substrate supporting apparatus that supports a substrate by interposing a buffer mechanism in the substrate support.
The buffer mechanism needs to be more flexible along with the recent diversification of the substrate materials and sizes. More specifically, if a substrate is made of a material softer than that of a fixed pawl, a more elastic buffer mechanism is necessary for attaching the substrate to the substrate holder without damaging the outer peripheral portion of the substrate. In addition, as the substrate size becomes small, the substrate mass decreases. The buffer mechanism for substrate attachment needs to have a flexibility, that is, a higher elasticity suitable for the substrate mass.